Sam and Daniel's Walkman Challenge
by drgemini86
Summary: Based on the iPod Challenge doing the rounds. 10 or so ficlets inspired by whatever plays on my Walkman phone. SamDaniel
1. Rhymes and Reasons

_**Sam and Daniel's Walkman Challenge, by DrGemini86 (DrGemini24)**_

_**Summary: **Inspired by the iPod Challenge making the rounds. 10 or so ficlets each inspired by whatever plays on my Walkman phone. _

_**Pairing: **Sam/Daniel_

_**Rating: **T_

_**Category: **Established Relationship _

_**Genres: **A/U, Drama, Friendship, Relationship, Romance_

_**A/U: **I have a broad (read: crazy) taste in music... so this could wildly vary. Lol._

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– **Rhymes and Reasons, by John Denver **

He held a picture in his hand. A black and white image of a winsome young woman with fair hair that tumbled down her back. She was crouched down near a fair-haired toddler who was frowning seriously at his tricycle. The woman grinned out at Daniel, her head next to the boy's as she held an infant in her other arm.

Daniel looked up to see that Sam was watching him. He glanced at the picture again, noting the resemblance. He said, "This, I guess, is your mother."

Sam smiled and nodded as she took the picture from him. "This was taken in about '65 or '66. Mom was going through a hippy phase." She grimaced a little. "The housewife phase was kinda difficult." She chuckled softly as she looked off into the distance. "But... she always had flowers everywhere and she hated being told what to do."

Daniel chuckled, and remarked coyly, "Remind you of someone?"

She regarded him semi-seriously. "Daniel Jackson, if I didn't want to be told what to do, why the hell do you think I joined the military?"

"Oh please, you just wanted to wanted to show them all what someone with internal sex organs could do." He reddened a little as he glanced away. He said, shaking his head, "What I would have done to have seen you sticking it to the man all those years ago."

She gazed at him thoughtfully, and he sighed, changing the subject as he was reminded yet again of all that had happened over the years. He picked up another photo, this time of the same young woman, but only a headshot. Next to her, with an arm slung around her shoulders, was a rather familiar looking young man. Daniel stared at the image for a long moment before looking up at Sam in surprise.

"That's... that's Jacob, isn't it?"

Sam nodded, and Daniel nodded sombrely as he regarded the picture. He glanced at the wedding band on his finger and then at Sam again. He said softly, "He must have loved her so much."

Sam nodded again, this time silent tears running down her cheeks. She wiped them away, and whispered, "He did. She was such a free spirit."


	2. Just Can't Get Enough

– **I Just Can't Get Enough, by the Saturdays (Depeche Mode cover)**

She couldn't get enough of him. It felt as though he was a part of her – nay, that he ran in her blood. He was closer to her than she was to herself. It had been so long since she had allowed someone to be half as close to her as she was letting him be. But she wasn't scared. She had lost him so many times but still she let him in. With him, the pain didn't matter. With him, nothing else mattered.

With that thought, which she accepted without doubt these days, she strolled into the room. There he was, seated on the floor of the living room, avidly watching a cartoon with, what Jack had called 'Danny's mini-me', in his arms. Sam grinned as she sat down next to him, and she kissed him, and stroked their son's hair.

Daniel smiled as he turned to look at her. She remarked, glancing at the TV suspiciously, "Please don't tell me you've picked up on something in Fairly Odd Parents that will lead us on another adventure. As much as I love the thrill of the chase, I just want my Saturday to be quiet for once."

Daniel beamed at her and then kissed her. He said, "We could go looking for Cosmo and Wanda if you want... but I was just thinking we could go out and get the little one tired out at the park... and then have an early night."

She laughed a little as he reddened despite the cheeky expression on his face. She replied coyly, "That, Doctor Jackson, sounds perfect."

"I thought you'd say that. Whether it'll make for a _quiet_ Saturday, though, is up to you."


	3. Keep on the Sunny Side

– **Keep on the Sunny Side, by the Carter Family**

Daniel frowned a little as he took a rubbing of a coin he had found. When he had finished, he held up the coin to the light and gazed at the inscriptions carefully.

Sam coughed as she stirred next to him, her head falling against his shoulder. Snapping back to reality, Daniel dropped his notebook and looked at her. He shook her gently, whispering, "Sam?"

She groaned again and finally woke up. She blearily stared around at the dark cell that they were in. Sam said hoarsely, "We're..." She coughed and Daniel helped her to sit up straight. "... we're still here?"

He nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so. I haven't heard from Jack or Teal'c yet." He frowned a little, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry." He gestured to the bloody wound on her side which he had made a crude bandage for from his jacket. "How's the gash?"

Sam closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the wall. She whispered weakly, "I've had worse." She turned her head slowly against the wall, and she opened her eyes to look at him. She said, "It's not your fault. None of this. You couldn't have known..."

He shook his head sadly. He said, "But I had one of those life and death epiphanies again... and General Hammond trusts me a little too much."

"Someone has to." She chuckled softly, and said, "Hey, I've never seen anyone so fascinated by a dollar coin before."

He put his notebook away and said quietly, "It's amazing what I find in my pockets sometimes. I just realised that I don't have a rubbing of a Sacagawea dollar."

She smiled weakly as she leaned against him once again. This gesture made him feel even more sad. As long as he had known her, he knew that she would never depend on anyone like this while injured or sick, unless it was highly serious. As he tried to keep his thoughts from breaking his heart, Sam whispered,

"You're always so positive Daniel. I lost that so long ago."

Daniel shook his head a little, mindful that her head was right next to his. A tear ran down his cheek, and he whispered in reply, "I'm not always positive, Sam. I... I just try not to think of all the bad things that could happen."

She chuckled softly. "... which means you're positive." She groaned a little as she shifted, the pain in her side flaring up. She said, "I'm tired, Daniel. I probably shouldn't go to sleep... you're gonna have to wake me up."

Daniel willed himself not to cry as he felt her head feel heavy against his shoulder. He then began to sing. As he did so, he gently shook her again, feeling some hope when she stirred once again. He stopped singing, and whispered,

"Come on, Sam, stay with me. You're the only reason for me to keep going."


	4. It Ain't Me Babe

– **It Ain't Me Babe, by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon (from Walk the Line OST)**

They lay together underneath the sheets, their bodies spent from their lovemaking. She watches him as he falls asleep and she brushes away a tear. She can't sleep knowing the things she knows. She knows she should go, but there isn't anywhere else she would rather be right now. So she watches over him, gently caressing him.

At long last, he awakes. Darker than usual blue eyes flicker open and focus on her. He doesn't touch her like he usually does. He doesn't even kiss her. All he says is,

"I'm not the one you want."

He turns away from her and looks up at the ceiling for a moment with a troubled frown. He then fully turns away from her, and she can tell by the slight movement of his shoulders that he's crying. She cries herself, knowing that for once, Daniel Jackson is wrong. How can he doubt how she feels about him? Why must he always deny himself some semblance of happiness?

She reaches for his shoulder. Before he can get up and leave her, she retorts angrily,

"I'm damn sure you're the one I want."


	5. Blackbird

– **Blackbird, by the Beatles**

Daniel smiled down at what he held in his arms. He couldn't believe it. After what had seemed an eternity of waiting, he was now holding a tiny person in his arms. Not only that, this little person had been co-created by himself. He gently stroked a pink chubby cheek as said little person yawned and then held onto his finger when he stroked the palm of her hand. All he could do was stare at her in amazement. Just one look into that little face when Carolyn had presented the bundle to him, and he was gone.

He was sat in a chair in a quiet part of the Infirmary, just gazing down at his daughter. The dark thoughts that had repeatedly surfaced when they had been expecting the baby, were now pushed out of his head completely. He was holding his daughter. As the minutes passed by, however, dark thoughts briefly surfaced, tinged with a wistfulness of times gone by. Sha're had not been able to conceive on Abydos, but yet Apophis had left her with child. Now, Sha're was at peace, and Shifu was hopefully safe under the guidance and tutelage of Oma Desala's followers.

From time to time, he allowed himself to feel his ever present ache. One look at his daughter, however, soothed his pain. She was alive and healthy, and with all hope, would never have to experience the things that he and her mother had experienced during their lifetimes.

His head suddenly shot up and he eyed the door of the room in which his wife lie. The labour had taken its toll on Sam, and Daniel held his daughter a little closer as it finally sank in just how close he had come to losing his whole world once again in his life. He blinked back tears, glad that there was no-one else around to see him looking so vulnerable.

As if on cue, a familiar voice called, "How's the little Einstein?"

Daniel's smile returned as his focus was driven back to the good that had happened that day. He looked up to see a casually dressed Jack easing himself down into a chair. Daniel glanced down at the baby, and asked, "How are the knees?"

"Giving me a little more jip than usual... damn damp weather." Jack nodded at the baby who had taken to scowling angrily as she stirred. Jack said, deadpan, "He's got your temper."

Daniel replied, feeling light once again, "She's a she." He looked down at the baby and then at Jack again. "We've decided on _Jamie_ so far, although I quite like the idea of _Jackie_, because it covers both you and Jacob."

Jack looked a little annoyed as he said, "I am disturbed that you would put me and Jacob in the same boat." He then looked deflated. "Please don't tell me I'm old enough to be Carter's Dad and that little dumpling's granddad. That would just be so... _disturbing_." Jack somehow began to look more serious. He asked, "Speaking of my favourite ever second-in-command..." He paused and pointed at Daniel coldly. "... If you ever tell her that, you're staying dead next time, capische?"

He paused once again as he tried to remember what he had said previously. He cleared his throat, and said, "So yes, young man... how's she doing?"

Daniel's smile immediately vanished, and he said quietly, "She's okay. She's sleeping... Doctor Lam managed to stabilise her."

Jack immediately looked concerned at Daniel's change in demeanour. He said, "I've just seen T and Mitchell, and Vala. No-one said a peep."

"They were probably being discreet. They were down here earlier when Sam went into labour. Teal'c was in there with me and Sam almost broke his hand." Daniel's voice wavered with emotion as he looked up at Jack. Tears in his eyes, he said, "I almost lost her, Jack."

Jack immediately got to his feet and Daniel looked up in surprise. The old General said, "Give me the kid."

When Daniel was slow in complying, Jack took charge and picked up the baby himself, soothing her when she began to cry. As Daniel started to fuss over the baby, Jack said forcefully, "Go and be with Carter. _Now_. She needs you and you need her."

Daniel's gaze lowered to the ground, and he said, "But..."

Jack didn't let him finish, however. He snapped, "No buts, Daniel. You showed enough of your own butt when you made the little bambina. Now, put it in 'drive'... I'll bring the little Space Monkey in later on. Just go and be there for her."

Daniel glanced at his daughter once again and then wordlessly entered the room in which Sam was. He nodded in greeting at a nurse and at Carolyn, who were noting down readings from various monitors. They soon left, and Daniel sat on the edge of the crisp white hospital bed. He watched as a frail looking Sam slept, sweat beading on her forehead. He held her hand in his and kissed it. He was about to get a chair when she began to stir.

He turned to her and said, apologetic, "Sorry... I was just checking on you."

Sam squinted and then looked up at him. She appeared worried as she asked, "Where's Jamie?"

Daniel sat down on the edge of the bed once again, and he said, "With Jack." He held her hand once more. "How are you feeling?"

She looked down at their hands, and she appeared to be struggling not to cry. She said hoarsely, "Like crap..." Her voice trembled as she said, "It hurts." She looked up at him. "I just want to go home and sleep. I hate this place."

He leaned down to kiss her, and he whispered, "I don't hate it. It saved you."

She sniffed. "I want to be happy. I should be happy... we've got a baby. A daughter. But all I can think of is how fat I am, and how I should have been more careful. It's... it's irrational, I know, but it feels horrible. Everything we've been through... and something as natural as childbirth is the one thing that lays me out."

"The things we've been through weren't natural, Sam."

"But still, it's the principle of it all."

He caressed her jaw and said, "Do you want me to go so you can sleep?"

She shook herself, suddenly looking even more vulnerable. She said, grabbing his hand, "No, please... I don't want to be left with only Carolyn and the duty nurses to talk to."

Without a second thought, Daniel lie at Sam's side in the bed, and he held her close to him. He gazed down at her as she snuggled into his chest, his wife looking as though she could start smiling at any moment. He smiled slightly as he kissed her hair and rested his head against hers. He said softly,

"I probably don't say this enough... but I'm thankful each day that I have you. I'm so proud of you." He gently kissed her. "... and I love you."

She smiled as she slid one of her hands underneath his shirt, savouring the warmness of his body and the close contact. As she began to drift off, she thought of how grateful she was to still have him in her life. With all hope, the future would now give them some more long overdue happiness. Her last thought was of the prospect of taking their daughter home for the first time.

Daniel began to drift off too as he held her in his arms. As he usually did when he held her, he finally felt at peace. She was safe and so was their daughter. Instead of _Doctor and Colonel Jackson _or _Doctors Jackson_, he finally felt as though they were now a family.

His last thought as Morpheus seduced him was of the days and years to come. He imagined pushing his daughter on a swing and carrying her over his shoulder. He imagined all the little fixes that she would get into, and the stories he would read to her. In his sleep, he kissed Sam's hair and smiled peacefully. For once, he felt as though things were going his way.


	6. Footprints in the Sand

– **Footprints in the Sand, by Leona Lewis**

Sam looked up at the dark, storm-brewing sky, tears glistening in her eyes. He was gone. He had left her for the great beyond. Her pale silver hair cascaded down her back as she dropped to her knees in the damp sand. He was gone. Alone, she finally released a sob, her body trembling as it felt incomplete and vulnerable. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared up at the sky in despair.

She couldn't go on alone – he had been by her side for so long. He was a part of her. Now she was expected to walk alone. She wept, screaming at the howling wilderness as the skies darkened. Life had taken everything from her, but she had always had him. And now even he had been taken from her in the floods.

Raindrops fell with increasing frequency, and she curled up in the sand, sobbing. He had promised to be hers forever; to never leave her. Rage and anguish coursed through her body. He had lied. He had lied and she was now all alone in the world.

As she lie there, not caring about anything, a light appeared. A small light appeared in the sky, like a star. The light then grew as it appeared to hurtle from the heavens, straight down towards her. She found herself unable to move. Transfixed, she stared in renewed curiosity as the now huge body of light hovered over her.

She frowned and asked, shivering, "What are you?"

She stared in shock as an echoing voice replied to her question. It said, "You know who I am."

She tried to back away, saying, scared, "D-Daniel?"

The light slowly took form as it moved from above her. It then appeared to sit at her side as their surroundings changed. The rainy, bleak beach was suddenly brightened by the light of an unseen sun; the sky clear, and the sand dry. It, however, was still deserted.

She looked around in amazement, wondering for one moment whether she had indeed followed him. She turned to look back at where the light had been, and her eyes widened in shock. There he was. Oh, but he was as young as the day they had got married; not as old and ill as he had been in his final days.

She gasped as she slowly reached out to touch his face. She recoiled at the last minute, scared by this apparition before her. She got up, finding herself dry and clean, instead of wet and sandy. She walked away a couple of steps, and then spun around once more to face him. There he was, wearing a cream sweater and brown trousers. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and he looked up at her with that smile he had only ever used for her. The fresh smile that was understated but spoke volumes, as though it contained a secret that was only privy to them.

She continued to tremble as she spoke, "Who are you?"

He remained where he was, sitting on a pile of rocks. He said, "You know who I am, Samantha. This isn't some alien ploy to get information about you and Earth, although if it was..." He glanced around conspiratorially. "... I'm sure they'd enjoy this beach."

She smiled briefly through her tears as she turned away momentarily. She then looked back at him, and said, "But you're gone, Daniel. You left me..." She struggled to rein in her emotions as she continued, "You said you wouldn't. You said you'd hold my hand."

He looked up at her with a soft sadness. He said, "Sam, I never left you. Look at your left hand."

She frowned at him, and he nodded, indicating for her to do so. She slowly raised her left hand and then stared in surprise as her wedding band appeared to glow with bright white flames. She stared back at him, only to find him standing right in front of her. She dropped her hand and looked away from him, not wanting to meet his gaze.

She felt him touch her jaw, the way that he had always done. This time, she didn't look up. She then heard him say, "Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will always be there. Always."

She cried again, and finally looked up at him. She said, "But it won't be the same." She leaned into his touch. "You made me who I am, and then you left. I never got a chance to thank you. You never knew how grateful I was for having you in my life."

He kissed her, and she cried again. She felt as though thirty years had gone past and she was working with her old team again. And he was there, as young and as healthy as he was here. He had put his arms around her whenever she was scared or in pain; he had been there for her, through thick and thin, regardless of himself.

He touched her cheek, bringing her out of her memories. Yet, she was never really out of them as she stared at someone who hadn't looked like the man before her for a very long time. He spoke to her, glowing tears running down his cheeks, "I always knew, Sam. I always knew... and I was so blessed to have you for the short time that I did." He sniffed and looked up at the sky for a moment. "Oh, Samantha Jackson..." He sighed and looked at her, his startlingly clear blue eyes taking her breath away. "... this was never my choice. If it had been mine, I would have stayed with you."

Their surroundings began to fade, like wet paint being washed away by a spray of water. Panicking, she reached out to him, only to find that he wasn't there. She screamed his name in anguish, not wanting him to leave her again. As everything faded into black, she heard his voice one last time.

"... but I never really left you. Not really. I'm always going to be there, just like I promised all those years ago. Our children and our grandchildren need you."

She sat up with a start, finding herself back on the bleak, dark beach. It was still raining and it looked as though the storm front wasn't abating. She was drenched and covered in sand, but for the first time since he had gone, she felt hope. She remained where she was for a moment, suddenly wondering whether she had dreamt it, when there was a flash of lightning.

Starting at that and then the thunder, she gasped when the lightning illuminated something in the sand. Further lightning bolts revealed that there were footsteps leading to where she had been lying, and then away again. She looked up at the sky and found herself smiling as her tears returned. She cleared her throat as she heard shouts in the distance, torch beams being waved every which way.

She whispered, "Thank you, Daniel. I promise I'll be here just like you did."

She got to her feet and took a moment to reflect. She closed her eyes, feeling a great warmth encompass her: the same warmth she felt whenever he had taken her into his arms, and what she had always felt after being with him. She smiled again as, in her mind's eye, she saw him the way he had been on the day they had got married. She saw his smile then, and then how he had smiled when each of their children had come into the world.

With a sigh, she opened her eyes again, returning to the present. She had to carry on alone, but he would always be there... just like he always had. She then walked towards the light and the voices, and she called, "I'm here, brats!"


	7. All I Want for Christmas

– **All I Want for Christmas, by Mariah Carey**

Sam kneeled down on the floor next to the Christmas tree. She looked at the tree in wonder, up at the twinkling fairy lights and the sparkling baubles of different colours and shapes. The sight of the tree and the lights allowed her to forget the pain, and to focus on the magic of the season. As the tree drew her attention more and more, memories returned of her childhood; those innocent, bright days before she learned of the things that grown-ups do.

But something drew her back to the present. Sobering slightly, Sam looked down with a warm expression at her enlarged abdomen, and she stroked it through the fabric of her pyjamas. She smiled as she thought of how Daniel would be smiling right now, and she whispered, "Merry Christmas, little one."

Her gaze moved past her belly, to where a stack of wrapped gifts lie. She smiled slightly as she fingered the different papers used for each one: shiny, matte, glossy, thin, padded. She took a few moments to read the tags on each gift – there were gifts from her friends, her brother and his family, from Daniel. She almost laughed out loud when she saw one apparently from her unborn child too.

She sobered once again as she considered how everyone, except for the child she carried, were away. General Landry's last phone call had been earlier that morning. The trade negotiations that the team were involved in were taking longer than had been expected.

She was disappointed, of course, but she tried to be upbeat, if only for the sake of her unborn baby. Even so, she refrained from opening the presents. Instead, she put them back to the way she had found them and just looked up at the tree. She looked up at the bright star on the top of the tree, and a tiny smile crossed her face as she remembered Daniel placing it there.

Focussing on the star, she silently hoped for her friends' and her husband's safe return. She then sighed as she looked down at her bump, quietly stroking it as she frowned with worry.


	8. With You

**– With You, by Jessica Simpson**

She could lie like this forever, snug and contented in his arms. She feels like she's in another world, as though everything else is but a distant dream. She feels his breaths, slow and steady, against her neck. She had forgotten just how free she feels with him. Atlantis had certainly been a little more relaxed than the SGC in terms of military protocol, but this was something else – it always had been.

She missed this: spending days off just doing 'normal' things; just the two of them. She smiles in amusement as a thought crosses her mind. What would her colleagues at the SGC think if they saw her so relaxed and informal, wearing only her boyfriend's t-shirt?

She had certainly raised eyebrows when she had decided to grow her hair out. She picks up a long golden strand from the pillow and smiles again. The only reason she grew it out was for him after he had come across a photo of what she had looked like before she had started at the Academy.

Admittedly, it's annoyingly inconvenient sometimes, especially on missions... but she feels that it's a small price to pay to see the wonder on his face when he plays with it. And, if she's honest with herself, she rather likes the feminine feeling that comes with having long hair again after such a long time.

She rubs the arm that is around her waist, and realises just how feminine he makes her feel. He makes her feel secure enough to believe that being womanly isn't a weakness, especially in patriarchal systems such as the SGC and the Air Force. In fact, it has proven to make her stronger because she isn't hiding a part of herself any more. He also makes her feel freer in general – she can be herself with him completely; she can say all manner of crazy things, and he doesn't run for the hills.

With a contented smile, she snuggles in his arms, thankful that she has him to love, and that he loves her. She carefully turns in his embrace so she can face him, and she watches him sleep. He always looks years younger when he sleeps; lines of age and of old pain fading into the night. He sleeps a lot easier with their latest big enemy out of the way.

She watches him, never tiring of doing so. He's naked from the waist up, his hair sticking up every which way, and, of course, he doesn't have his glasses on. Years of running at hers and Teal'c's side through the Stargate has given him greater muscle definition than he had when she had first met him.

As much as she likes doing it, she doesn't want to spend the whole day watching him sleep. She kisses him gently, holding him close to herself. She smiles when she feels him wake up as she continues to kiss him, and he returns her kisses, clumsily at first. When at last he stops, he says with a drowsy smile,

"Hey."

She loves the way he looks when he's just woken up. There's just something so relaxed about him. She likes relaxed-Daniel; he's so much nicer to be around than tense-Daniel. She touches the tip of his nose affectionately and says, "Hey yourself."

Her stomach feels as though it contains butterflies as he smiles at her again. He groans a little as he hugs her. He closes his eyes as he rests his head against hers. He says softly, "I could have done with another hour. Getting old sucks."

She rubs his side, a thoughtful expression on her face. She says, "It's okay. I'll wake you up in a little while."

He groaned again. "No, I'm okay... I just like being here like this."

She kisses his chest and smiles again. She then rests her head against his chest, soothed by the rhythmic beat of his heart. She says, "That makes two of us... but we're going to have eat at some point."


	9. Secret Love

– **Secret Love, by Doris Day**

She didn't want to hide any more. They had been doing what they did – defending Earth – for too long. Surely it was _not_ arrogant to expect some leeway by now? After all, it wasn't as though she was demanding a new house or protection money. All she wanted was to be able to openly be with the man she loved, rather than to have to accede to the Establishment and their silent expectations of her.

That was all she wanted, and she knew that that was what he wanted. But he had been working for the government for too long now; too jaded was he to make some noise – too insignificant to the higher-ups. His attitude was not uncalled for after all these years.

But how long would she have to wait? Would her entire life be shrouded in mystery and darkness; obfuscation and lies?

No, no more.

She had broken her silence and he had too. There was no war now – no immediate threat to Earth. If they were in the wrong, then they wouldn't be as reluctant to leave as they would have been a few years previously. They had lasted this long – surely it had to mean something to others beside themselves?

At long last, she received an envelope. She hid herself in his office, scared of what she might look like in public. This was it – their professional fates encapsulated within the dimensions of a small, thin envelope.

She opened the envelope but she couldn't go any further. It would confirm what she feared the most. If it was in black and white, it was unchangeable. No, she did not want to see it. She could not.

But he was always the braver one; out of circumstance rather than choice. With trembling fingers, he took it from her. Her eyes were still closed, she not wanting to face the contents of the envelope. But she turned to face him when she heard his gasp.

He appeared shocked as he re-read the letter he held in hands that still trembled; the knuckles white from the death grip he had on the sheet of paper. A long moment later, he looked up at her and he swallowed, not knowing how to word what he had read. She felt the urge to turn away but she also knew that there was something else to it. She saw it in his eyes.

He swallowed again, and finally he spoke. His face was ashen as he said, "They agree."

She could not process what he was saying; what he meant. He cleared his throat and said, "We've been given the green light... on one condition."

Her throat is suddenly dry. Could it be true? They weren't being punished? After so long, she didn't know how to react to that news. A small part of her knew that she should be happy, but there had been too many secrets; too many years of lies and darkness.

He slowly smiled, albeit nervously. He looked down at his desk, and he said, "We have to get married."

Her eyebrows almost hit the roof. She gasped, and said, shocked, "Married?!"

The news wouldn't sink in. She couldn't understand what he was saying. For one painful moment, she felt as though it was a trap. One look in his eyes, however, and her doubts slowly ebbed away. They could be out in the open now. No more hiding. No more secrets and lies. No more fear. She began to cry and he got up to hug her. He cried too – this had been going on for too long. Too long.

And then they started laughing. Quietly at first, but then it grew until they were both laughing aloud and crying, and unable to hold onto each other because of it. They dried their tears as they stared at one another, their faces growing serious. This was indeed serious. A new beginning, with everyone knowing for sure what was going on between them. Escape, they would, from the realm of secrets and rumours, to the realm of more rumours, surely, but more truth too.

She looked away from him and said softly, "It's a big step."

He gulped, and said, "I know."

She smiled and reached for his hand. Tears ran down her cheek as she said, "But we're in this together."

He suddenly appeared stunned as he stared at her, realising just what she had implied. She covered her mouth with her hand as she realised why he appeared shocked. Her hand dropped, and she said, crying again, "Yes, I will."

And then she knew no more when she felt his lips upon hers. Yes, she would, and he would... and they both would.


	10. Party in the USA

– **Party in the USA, by Miley Cyrus**

"Oh God, no!"

Sam, irritated, slammed the top of the radio next to her, cutting short the song that had started playing. The room fell into silence as she lie back down on her bed again, thinking how futile it was being annoyed at something as inconsequential as a song. It still managed to annoy her though. Her eyes moved to her swollen abdomen, and she whispered to its inhabitant,

"If you turn out to be a girl... you are so not watching Hannah Montana."

She smiled tiredly when she felt movement in reply, and she patted her bump. She closed her eyes and murmured, "Mommy's happy you're moving around in there but could you please keep still for at least a couple hours so Mommy can sleep?"

She had just drifted off into a pleasant place somewhere between sleeping and waking, when the radio somehow switched itself on again. She was awoken by the same song blaring at her, and then her unborn child moving in time to it. She growled, forgetting that she was supposed to be calm, and she grabbed the radio. The next thing she knew, it had crashed into the furthest wall, and now fell silent as its casing split and internal parts were chipped beyond any casual form of repair.

She felt guilt momentarily before deciding to be happy about it. She was about to close her eyes again when she heard someone running up the stairs, and she sighed. All she wanted was some rest, which was now becoming impossible thanks to someone who worried about her more than she ever did.

Seconds later, Daniel appeared in the room, the archaeologist looking worried as he looked around. He paused on seeing the radio in several pieces, and then he looked at an indignant looking Sam. He said cautiously, "Bad time?"

"More like bad song. It won't stop playing and kiddo here won't stop dancing. Something had to be done. Now, if you don't mind, this Colonel needs some sleep."

She grumpily pulled a blanket over herself and closed her eyes. Moments later, when she felt him sit on the edge of the bed, she opened her eyes, feeling just about ready to kill him. Instead, however, she said, sounding drained,

"Daniel, I haven't slept at all in about three days. I'd like to, okay? I'd really like to... 'cos when kiddo comes out, I'm never going to sleep again."

She closed her eyes again on feeling his fingers in her hair, and she felt a stab of guilt for being short with him. She was about to drift off again when she heard him say, "Jack's been sending music to my cell by Bluetooth again. I could leave that here if you promise not to throw it across the room."

She groaned, wanting to go back to sleep again. She said, "Fine. Whatever."

He smiled slightly as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and started the music player. When an all too familiar guitar riff started playing, he leapt halfway across the room, trying not to laugh when Sam instantly sat up. Fuming as Daniel almost dived for the door, she angrily threw a pillow at him, which just grazed his back.

She shouted, "Daniel Jackson! I'm going to kill you!"


	11. All or Nothing

– **All or Nothing, by Westlife (O-Town cover)**

There she was, and there he was. It seemed like something bigger than him – something immutable as the years went by. She liked him, and he liked her, but regulations – or so they said – were keeping them apart. What was worse for him was that the awkwardness between those two didn't seem to stop during quiet team moments. Even when fishing, the little looks seemed to speak volumes; volumes of a book which he couldn't read, and, in the end, had no wish to.

As the years rolled by, he wondered how long they would wait for one another. There were rumours that they had already started something, but he knew better. He knew them too well to believe the wild rumours. It was as though there was something else stopping them from being together. What, he didn't know – why, he didn't want to know.

He had come to realise – oh, but too late – that what he felt for her was far beyond the realms of friendship. He knew that, given the chance, he could make her happy... but she had never once looked at him that way. Perhaps if those first alternate universes that they had encountered all those years ago, had been different...

But even then, no. They were living a cliché. Forbidden love. Oh, it sickened him to even think of it as that. But it seemed that way to him all the same. And he was in another cliché – as the third point of a triangle. It depressed him to say the least. This wasn't how lives were meant to be lived. This wasn't how humans were supposed to exist, in a perpetual state of pining.

He couldn't face this any more. Not any more. He just couldn't. So he left the room during one of their many awkward moments.

After _he_ had gone, he looked at her, and she looked at him. She said, nervously, "Sir? I..."

He gazed at her, a silent albeit sad acceptance in his eyes. He said, "Away to it, Carter. Go after him and put a smile on his face."

He watched her leave. She seemed nervous, but determined too, and something else. He looked down at the table; he didn't like to think deeply while sober. This was one more thing he would have to think over a lot while semi-inebriated. All the same, as he watched her leave, he noticed that she moved much more freely.

She was happy.

And that's all that mattered.


End file.
